Monday, February 6, 2012

Surprise!

Winding up in Surprise, Arizona was quite the surprise to us! It wasn’t a part of our original plan to see the West Coast, but with it being so cold and wet on the northern end of our travels, we really needed a place to dry out. What better place than the desert?
We’ve spent the past two months at Sunflower RV Resort; a place I wrote about in a previous post. We had so much fun with our wonderful neighbors there. We learned how to play a new card game, ”Hand and Foot”, enjoyed visits at each other’s RV’s, and shared in the excitement as one couple got a new 5th wheel and another got a new puppy. Trevor enjoyed the local Italian Pastry Shop with the guys now and then, I was able to do two important interviews as research for my book, and we both spent many hours poring over scriptures with a dear Pastor and his wife who live in the park.
We were blessed when Gordon and Christy came for a visit, staying in a park model at Sunflower for the weekend. It was great to see them and to get some dog time with their sweet little dog, Duncan. I always have trouble with the 10th commandment whenever I’m around Duncan. There’s something about that dog. I think everyone covets him. You can visit Christy’s blog at chuckwagonadventure.blogspot.com. She writes about Duncan’s popularity in a 2011 post entitled, “Desert Dwellers”.
It’s not hard to keep yourself busy in a place like Sunflower. For a small fee, Trevor joined Woodshop, where they have every woodworking tool you can imagine. I was able to learn some things at Computer Club, attend two informative bible studies, and play Bocce Ball with some very fun people, many of them from our home state. With the help of the dear ladies in Pottery Club, Trevor and I learned techniques that enabled us to make items we needed around the house. With the skills we acquired this year, I’m sure we’ll be able to make the same items even better next time!

We did a lot outside the park as well. We hung out at White Tank Mountain Regional Park where we found a cactus I named Treehugger, and where we hiked the Mesquite Trail; a pretty good climb, with nice views.
We visited with friends in town who taught us another fun card game, “Pony Tail”, and we went to Tucson for a weekend to see my bff from grade school and meet her new hubby. They took us to San Xavier del Bac Mission one morning. What a beautiful building! I cannot believe I forgot to bring my camera that weekend!
We took a day trip to visit Payson, Arizona and some of its surrounding areas. For the most part, Payson was shut down for the season, so there’s not much to do there this time of year. A little north of Payson we found Tonto Natural Bridge Sate Park where we enjoyed a steep hike down to the bottom of the bridge. On the way back up, I was glad I’d been doing Tae Bo the previous months! It’s really improved the strength in my legs. Many thanks to Billy Blanks!
From the state park, we headed further north to the edge of the Colorado Plateau. I wasn’t expecting to see snow beneath my feet this winter, but it was fun and it was great to see all the parents out there sliding with their children.



Since we’ve accomplished our mission to dry out, we’ve moved on to a new place, lush with green grass
and beautiful flowers blooming everywhere. And there’s a lot of golf going on here! We’re not golfers yet, but we bought starter clubs at a garage sale in Surprise. Between the greens right here in the park, and my parents nearby willing to teach us, we’re bound to learn something. Can’t wait to tell you all about it next time! Take care. We love you and miss you lots!
-Trevor and Roni